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April 9, 2013

“Rising Angel” ~Southport Magazine

Jeanne Jolly’s voice was raised by an array of challenges and influences. From singing along to Loretta Lynn records in her youth to earning her masters in vocal performance—opera, to be specific—from the New England Conservatory (NEC), Jolly can cite a list of musical idols in nearly every genre. It’s as if she put her voice on a reality game show from the the time she could sing, urging it to pass every trial. Tests, like mimicking famed vocalists for TV jingles in Los Angeles, pay off in rewards such as becoming the featured vocalist for Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti. What her chords can’t do after such trials and achievements, fans have yet to find out.

The Raleigh, NC native has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, and her first full-length album, “Angels,” debuted on the top 15 for the iTunes singer/songwriter chart. She has opened for acts like Sam Bush, Maura O’Connell and Chuck Mead. Such success is no surprise once giving “Angels” a listen.

Her influences—like Alison Krauss, The Judds, Tammy Wynette—shine through in her folk-style ballads, yet her classical schooling lends hints of jazz and bossa nova to a few tunes as well. Jolly’s tone is exceptionally warm and clear, the gift of many years’ diligence in opera. Not one of the songs on “Angels” should be considered filler. Every lyric is bona fide. Every verse is something she’s felt.